Automatic firearm



May 15, 1923.

R. MUSITELLI AUTOMATIC FIREARM gjfled Oct. 12, 1916 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTO/ Patented May 15, 1923.

,',fMUN'IT-ED STATES,

' lRonra'ro MUSITELLI, or BRESCIA, ITALY.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Application filed October 12, 1916. Serial No. 125,181.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS F THE ACT 0F MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 13,130

To ,all whom it may concer/1,:

`Be it known that I, ROBERTO: MUsrrnLLr, beingfa subject of the Kingdom hf Italy and resident. ot Brescia et, Via S.. Carlo-Brescia, Italy, have invented certain new and'y use- Aful ImprovementsV in and Relating to Automatic Firearms (for which I have filed an application in-ItalyT October 2, 1915)., of which the following is a specification.

v',[ghiss invention relates to automatic re arms in which the ejection of a discharged cartridge and the movement oi' another cartridge into firing position are controlled automatically by means actuated by the reaction exerted on the cartridge casewhen the cartridge is discharged. t

The. invention comprises certain novel features in the construction, arrangement and operation ofi automatic tire arms of this character.

In. the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a Sectional side elevation of an automatic pistol constructed in accordance with the present invention, the parts being shown imposition ready for firing. a

Figure. 2 is a viewpartly in section and partly in outside elevation of a portion of the4 pistol illustrated in Figure 1 with the parts in the position they occupy at the completion of their rearward movement following the discharge of a. cartridge.

y. Figure 3 is a sectional end elevation on the linekA-B, Figure 1, looking toward 1 the lett of this figure.

`Figurer 4 is a sectional end elevation taken on the line' C-D, of Figure 1, also looking toward the. left..

`Figure 5 is a plan view of the breech block e support.

- Figure 6 1s a plan view of the tiring pin. Figure 7 is a view of the right handend of the breech block, and

r .Figure 8. is `an outside elevation of the right hand portion of the breech block support .and body. v

The breech block supportl 3 is slidably mounted upon the body 6., the body and support being provided with co-operating tongue and groove guides 7 for this purpose, Figures 3 and 4. The body 6 is provided with the usual handle or grip 5.

Mounted within the breech block support 3 with its aXis in alinement with the axis of the barrel 1 is the movable breech block 8, this breech block normally being held in the position shown in Figure 1 by'means of a coiled spring l0 located in the upper part 9 of the interior of the breech block support,

said spring being partially coiled about a stem 11 movably supported in the rear mem.- ber 3a of the support 8. The spring is in compression between a flange 12 on the stern and the upward projection 13 on-the breech block, and an additional spring 14 is a1'- ranged between the flange 12 and the rear member 3a of the support.

The firing pin 15 is mounted within an axial cavity in the breech block 8, its firing point 16 being adapted to be driven through p a corresponding aperture atthe forward end of the breech block in order to discharge the cartridge 36 positioned within the barrel 1, as illustrated in Figure 1. The firing `pin is guided by means of a key 19 carried by` the breech block 8 and extending through a longitudinal slot 20 in the iringpin, Figure 6. The vfiring pin is impelled forwardly to. discharge the cartridge by means of a coiled spring 17 surrounding the tiring pin` and in. compression. between a flange 18 thereon and the key 19'. The firing pin is provided at its rearend with a downward projection 21 which extends through a slot 27 yin. the breech block, into a slot 22 formed in. the breech block support 3 at the rear theref. `The tiring pin-is normally held in Athe position shown inligure 1, in which it is prevented from moving forwardly under the action ofy the spring 17, by means. of a seal' 28 pivotaily mounted within a recess 26 termed in the breech block support 3 and `corninunicating with vslot 22 therein. A

spring 29 carried by thesear and working against a part of the breech block support ynormally holds the rear end of' the scar in is adaptedtoreeeive the cartridge'magazine,

and in the latter of which is mounted the trigger operated means for releasing the sear 28. The chamber 23 communicates with a recess 25 formed in the breech block support 3 through which recess the cartridges are moved from the magazine into position to be forced into the barrel of the pistol by the breech block, the curved front wall47 of the recess 25 serving to guide the cartridge into position.

In the chamber 24 is pivotally mounted the sear actuator 31 which is mounted on pivot 30 and is normally held in the forward position shown in Figure 1 by the spring 35. The triggerl 33, protected by the trigger guard 34, is connected to the sear actuator 31 by means of connecting bars 32 extending rearwardly from the trigger on both sides of the chamber 23. The sear actuator at its upper end. is adapted to engage a cam surface on the forward end of the sear 28, which end normally lies within the upper portion ofthe chamber 24.

. Slidably mounted in a recess 48 in the breech block support 3, and normally extending at its upper edge into a recess 37 in the lower surface of the breech block, is a latch 37, this latch being pivotally carried at the upper end of a lever 51 pivoted at 52 and having an arm'50 carrying a spring 49 which tendsto move the lever 51 into position to hold the latch 37 with its upper edge in the recess 37 The breech block 8 carries an extractor hook 404 adapted to engage the fiangel at the rear end of the cartridge, and a stop 41 carried by the breech block support extends into a position to engage the rear end of the discharged cartridge when the latter is drawn by the extractor hook from the pistol barrel and to cause the ejection of said cartridge through the aperture 45 in the side of the breech block support. The stop 41 is mounted on a pivot 44, which pivot is provided on the exterior of the breech block support, see Figure 5, with a lever 43, whereby the turning of this lever through 90O results in the movement of the stop 41 into the position indicated in dotted lines at 41 Figure 2, in which position the breechblock is held in its rearmost position. The breech block is pro- Ivided with a longitudinal groove 42, Figure 7, in which the stop 41 works when in its normal position indicated in full lines in Figure 2, the stop not interfering with the movement of the breech block under normal conditions, but preventing such movement when turned so as to lie transversely of the groove 42.

A safety catch 53 is carried by the firing pin 15 at the rear end thereof, this catch being provided with a tooth 54 which normally moves in the slot 22 and does not interfere with the movement of the firing pin.

If, however, the catch 53 is rotated so as to bring the tooth 54 out of register with the slot 22, movement of the firing pin is prevented, even though the sear 28 may be released.

The operation of the improved pistol herein'before described is as follows, the parts being in the position illustrated in Figure 1. y

On pressing the trigger 33 the sear actuator' 31 is moved rearwardly and its upper end engaging the cam surface onv the sear 28 moves the forward end of the sear upwardly and therear end downwardly out of engagement with the projection 21 on. the firing pin. This pin thus released is impelled forwardly by the spring 17, assuming that the catch 53 is placed with its tooth in register with. the slot 22, and the firing point passes through the aperture in the forward end of the breech block and effects the discharge of the cartridge.

recess 37 of the breech block, the latter carries with it in its rearward movement `the breech block support 3 until a surface 38 on the latter contacts with a surface 39 on the body 6. At this time the coacting inclined surfaces of the recess 37 and latch 37 press the latter downwardly 'against the action of spring 49 and the breech block continues its rearward movement, compressing springs 10 and 14. The extractor hook 40 withdraws the cartridge from the barrel 1 and carries it rearwardly with the breech block'and as the rear end of the cartridge comes into'contact with the stop 41 it is thrown laterally outwardly through the aperture 45. As the breech block reaches the limit of its rearward movement, a new cartridge is fed from the magazine through the recess 25 into position in front ofthe breech block and as the latter is moved forwardly by the springs 10 and 14, the'new cartridge is carried into firing position in the barrel 1. As the recess 37l comes into register with the latch 37, this latch is moved into said recess by the spring 49 and the breech' block and its support 3 again assume the positions illustrated in Figure 1. On the return movement of the breech block the projection 21 on the firing pin again comes into engagement with the sear 28 so that the firing pin is retained in its rearward position and the spring 17 compressed ready to again is released.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is An automatic fire arm, 'comprising vin combination, a body portion, a breech block support mounted thereon having an opening in one side Wall thereof, a breech block slidable in said support and having a longitudinal recess in the side Wall thereof remote from the opening in the support, a firing pin slidable in the breech block, trigger-operated means for controlling the operation of said firing pin, and a stop pivotally mounted in a lateral aperture in the other side Wall of the breech block support in position to engage and eject a cartridge through said opening, said stop normally Working in the recess in the breech block but movable to extend transversely of said recess to prevent the return movement of the block.

In testimony whereof I have aHiXed my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERTO MUSITELLI. Witnesses:

LUIS F. HERNNDEZ, GIAN. GIACOMO GUARNIERI. 

